Two Seabrook officers fired, others disciplined in assault of suspect

Two police officers were fired and several others were disciplined in connection with the Nov. 11, 2009, assault of a man who had been taken into police custody.

Two police officers were fired and several others were disciplined in connection with the Nov. 11, 2009, assault of a man who had been taken into police custody.

A video of the assault surfaced in January this year showing an officer slamming a suspect into a wall.

The officers were placed on paid administrative leave one day after the video appeared on YouTube. The video shows three officers walking a shirtless man down a hall. One of the officers slams the man into a wall and he falls to the floor. A struggle follows and the suspect eventually falls out of view. Two officers could be seen smiling as they stood over the downed man.

Today, officials held a press conference in Seabrook to announce the findings of the investigation into the beating that happened more than four years ago.

Officer Mark Richardson, who was seen in the video slamming the suspect into a wall, was fired.

Officer Adam Laurent, who pepper sprayed the suspect, was also fired.

Lt. John Wasson, whose role in the assault and video is not clear, was demoted from lieutenant to patrolman.

Officer Keith Dietenhofer, who was described as an onlooker to the events, received a two-day suspension without pay.

In addition, a Rockingham County grand jury indicted Richardson on a count of simple assault for allegedly slamming the suspect into a wall while he was in custody at the Seabrook police station.

Richardson faces enhanced penalties to the charge because the alleged crime occurred while he was on duty, according to the N.H. Attorney General's Office.

The AG's office said the enhanced penalty could result in a maximum sentence of up to 2 to 5 years in the New Hampshire State Prison and a $4,000 fine.

The grand jury declined to indict Laurent on a simple assault charge for allegedly spraying the suspect in the face with pepper spray during the incident.

The police report from the day of the assault said then-19-year-old Michael Bergeron was arrested on misdemeanor charges of driving while intoxicated and possessing drugs. The report claimed Bergeron was struggling and being uncooperative.